Jaywalking Decriminalized In California

Photo by: BJ Hansen

Sacramento, CA — In most situations, police officers will no longer be able to stop, or ticket, people who walk across the road outside of marked crosswalks.

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that has essentially decriminalized jaywalking. Californians will not be ticketed unless they cross the road and are in “immediate danger of being hit.”  How that is defined, is being a situation where a “reasonably careful person would realize there is an immediate danger.” So, if there are no vehicles coming nearby, people will not have to worry about receiving a jaywalking ticket.

The bill was authored by Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting, who argued that tickets for jaywalking more often go to low-income and marginalized communities, and says it is time to “reconsider how we use our law enforcement resources.”

Governor Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year, citing concerns over the high number of pedestrian-related crashes in the state. He did not put out a statement after signing this new bill over the weekend.

The bill will become law on January 1st, 2023.